Philippine Duchesne : Ambassador of Reconciliation and Peace

2018 marks the bicentenary of Sister Philippine Duchesne’s landing in America. Born in Gronoble, France, she began her missionary life at the age of forty-nine in the harsh and poor surroundings of St. Charles, Missouri. Philippine’s lifelong wish, to live with Native American Indians, was finally realized at age seventy-one after retiring in poor health among the Potawatomi Tribe. Philippine Duchesne, a pioneering missionary and educator, was canonized in 1988 because of her witness to the values of the spirit of poverty, humility and love of God. This paper interprets Philippine’s spirituality from the perspective of a theology of reconciliation and explores possible ways of following her in today’s world through the lens of the 2016 General Chapter of the Society of the Sacred Heart. From the perspective of a theology of reconciliation, particular characteristics of Philippine Duchesne’s spirituality are as follows: ① Fortitude and persistence (in relationship with God); ② Humility and self-emptying (in relationship with herself); ③ A spirit of poverty and compassion for the poor (in relationship with others); ④ Inner Peace: All-encompassing unity (in relationship with creation). Philippine Duchesne s call to become ambassadors of reconciliation and peace overlaps with the four calls of the 2016 General Chapter of the Society of the Sacred Heart: ① To reach new frontiers, ② To live more humanly, ③ To create silence, ④ To be and to act as one body.